Robin Lopez Can't Stop Terrorizing NBA Mascots

A very brave, very blue bear named Grizz decided he'd had enough of Robin Lopez's serial NBA mascot abuse, and he fought back the best way he knew how on March 21.

The Memphis Grizzlies' plush avatar didn't maul Lopez, nor did he bash the Portland Trail Blazers center with polyester paws. He feigned a peace treaty and planted a kick-me sign on Lopez's back. Mascots everywhere rejoiced—silently, of course—as they had a new champion, a stalwart soul willing to stand up against a true scourge of the mascot's way of life.

On Dec. 15, 2013, Detroit's equine representative donned a wig to poke fun at Lopez's unruly locks. It was a bold play by Hooper, especially because just days earlier, Robin's brother, Brook, led an attack that resulted in Hooper being dragged off the court.

Hooper had his revenge on Brook's Brooklyn Nets, but seeing Robin's Blazers coming up on the schedule, he fired a warning shot on Twitter:

Robin Lopez @rolopez42

@PistonsHooper You lookin to get jumped again?? Fair warning, I spent the summer with Liam Neeson and Harrison Ford #HooperBoutToGetTaken

Robin was quick to take up the challenge, and the above-posted wig-snatching and beatdown were the results.

"Of course I had to stick up for the family name," said Robin, via Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com. "He really should have thought twice before stepping to me. …He was really throwing rocks at the hornet's nest."

Perhaps enjoying the taste of power—or maybe living out a lifelong dream of putting mascots in their place—Lopez never looked back. His appetite had been whetted. From then on, every NBA mascot was on notice: When Lopez came to town, things were going to get physical.

The First Wave

It would take nearly a year until Lopez's crime spree got its start in earnest, and he kicked it off, appropriately, with Hooper.